


Seagulls and Kisses

by TwistedNym



Series: Some of us die young [3]
Category: Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 13:31:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14082006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwistedNym/pseuds/TwistedNym
Summary: "Better be there." Maven warns before he opens the car door and gets in.Thomas stares at his own reflection. "You bet." He says, though no one can hear him.





	Seagulls and Kisses

_Thomas, you are a coward._ He tells himself, looking in the mirror.

_Thomas, you are an idiot._

"Yeah, no news." He whispers, turning the water on. With a rusty squeak, the water floats the sink. Takes a moment or two before it has cleared and he trusts it enough to fill his palms with the ice cold water, splashing it on his face.

He runs a hand through his hair, repeats the splashing and turns the water out.

He possesses the courage to run. That's nothing new. Running has saved him. Running is what these legs know. There's no fight in them. He isn't like the Barrows, he isn't spunky or brave. He doesn't have the discipline Farley possesses, her spirit. Even though she isn't even from around town she stands up for all the shit people go through.

She takes care of them. She takes care of him. Just another stray at her doorstep.

But he, he _runs_.

He's been in the parking lot, hiding out of sight. Real adult, not the least childish. He had seen Maven leave. Granted, he wasn't alone this time. Thomas is gladly taking every excuse life offers.

It's the first time Thomas sees anyone out of the family. And there's no denying the strong resemblance the woman bears to Maven. She's as lean and slender, with the same sharp face.

Her heels are making her appear like an oversized bird ready to get its claws out and grab a sheep, like those videos about eagles. Yeah, she's super fancy dressed and pretty. But she's terrifying at it. He's heard the rumors. Now that he sees her he can believe every word is true.

Probably not so nice to think that about his mother. But hey, nice isn't always honest. And it's not like people can read his mind. Thoughts are free or whatever Farley says when she makes a political statement.

They talk, but Thomas is safe and sound hidden and too far out of earshot.

Doesn't seem like the most pleasant conversation. Makes sense he never talked about her now.

Thomas wonders what he would say if they ever met again.

Would he ask? Would he even mention it?

Yeah, was stalking you and saw you and your mom. You okay?

Nah, better not. Better never. Even his impertinence has borders.

It doesn't change the fact that he isn't sure if he will ever speak to Maven again.

After avoiding him for more than a week and not turning up to pick him off after counseling, Thomas is sure it would be better if he lets it slide.

This ought to happen from the day he laid eyes on Maven. They both knew it.

You are a coward and an idiot. He tells himself again and the words have never been truer. Someone enters the toilet and Thomas flinches. Then he grabs his bags and steps out.

The train station is busy at this time of day, people coming from work or going out to meet someone.

A normal Thursday evening.

Thomas ponders a moment. He has some spare change. He could hop the train to the Stilts and visit...his family, maybe. Or look what's up. Maybe there's something little and dirty to make money or food. But he really doesn't want to remember where he comes from. Not now.

He decides to just leave, hanging around in the nicer part of town. Sure, cops could pick him up with some obscure reasoning. Loitering or shit. Maybe they'll say he has a gun and even though he hasn't, they'd kick him in the face and tase him. Has happened to people like him more than once.

Can't have those filthy Reds destroy the pretty and peaceful day.

But there's dumpsters to dive and food to get.

High risk, high reward. It's not like he has anything to lose. He's already without home or support.

By the end of the night, he decides he still can't stop thinking about that blasted silver boy.

That look of hurt and anger makes something in him heavy. And so, when the next counseling round is over, he stands in front of the stairs, right out in the open, and waits. He feels exposed. He just wants those legs to run. But he doesn't. Biting his lip hard, he waits until a familiar blue-clad figure walks through the glass door, headphones in place. Maven almost runs into him because he doesn't look up and Thomas touches his shoulder. It's like he got a spark of electricity running through the spot where they touch.

"Hey, Mave."

Maven's blue eyes are gliding over his face. For a second Thomas is sure he wants to punch him. And that would be totally fine. Then he's all icy and closed up.

"What do you want?" The words are like stones from his mouth. Every one hits Thomas in the head with deadly precision. And he's right. What does Thomas want anymore?

" Look I fucked up. I know I should have not just left but that's me and I am not going to change. But I came back, yeah? Let's talk."

Maven looks around before he pulls out his phone.

"You've got exactly three minutes before I am picked up."

Thomas takes a very, very long breath. "I told you I hate owing people. You shouldn't have. No one's ever tried to give me anything."

Maven blinks before he stands there and stares. Merciless. "Two minutes."

"I am sorry, or whatever it is you want to hear. I really like you. But you're fancy and I have nothing. I can't even pay for something to eat most days."

"I didn't want anything in return. I was just being nice because I know you don't have money to buy things."

Thomas sighs, pushing his hair back with his hand. "That's sweet. You are sweet. I don't do good with sweet."

"I noticed." Maven says. "And you're the worst at apologizing."

"Yeah, I know. We'll work it out, tho, can we? Please say we can. I wanna. I like hanging out with you."

The black and blue car pulls in, in front of the stairs.

"I have to go." Maven says.

Thomas feels worse than the day those hobos beat him black and blue at the bus stop.

"Alright." He just whispers. He watches the other boy get down the stairs and his heart makes a painful jump with every step Maven gets away.

When he turns around, Thomas can't believe his luck. "I'll meet you at that bench by the water tomorrow. Let's say...at four?"

"Yeah. Okay. Anything, Mave."

"Better be there." Maven warns before he opens the car door and gets in.

Thomas stares at his own reflection in awe. "You bet." He says, though no one can hear him.

Thomas is early. Maven, despite his other qualities and being on point is one of them, is not. Thomas sits by the water thinking he deserves every second of uncertainty. He watches seagulls circles over their bench. It's almost five when Maven appears, hair tousled and breathing heavy. Thomas stops chewing his nails and lets out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry. My mother wasn't done asking questions. She saw you yesterday."

Thomas thinks of his helpless reflection in the car and is sure her eyes saw it all. "You got trouble?"

"No, I am off, for now. Prepare to be watched, though. She'll not let it rest for long."

Her bird of prey look comes to mind and all the nasty stuff he heard. She's ruthless. If she doesn't like the thought of her son and some low life, no one will miss him. It's sending a shiver down his spine. He tries to downplay it with his usual crude jokes. "What, isn't she busy hunting 101 puppies for a new jacket?"

"Thomas!" Maven shakes his head but it's nothing Thomas hasn't seen in his life. People love to shake their heads for him.

"Sorry, I know that's pretty disrespectful to talk about your mother like that. But she's pretty terrifying. The thought of being on her radar is not my favorite."

"You have no idea." He whispers, and Thomas wants to ask what he means but doesn't.

"That's not helping. You're not helping. I mean, your family owns mine. It's scary."

"We aren't owning people." Maven says as if Thomas told him there are flying cow circling over his head. He obviously isn'Ät fond of the topic. " It's more complicated than that."

Thomas shrugs. "Might as well be, pretty boy. There isn't much of a difference. It's only words. And those words mean nothing to my father working himself to death ."

"You have the political tact of a leaf vacuum, Thomas. I'm not sure I want to discuss this."

Thomas snorts. He's glad none of the rebellious people are here. They'd argue poor Maven into the ground. Before they'd do something else. Once it was all just words. Now he's not so sure anymore.

"Yeah, better not. If you happen to notice your mother hiring a hitman or planning a terrible accident, warn me."

"Maybe I will. A hitman." Maven shakes his head. "You're something else."

"Charming? Good looking? Witty?" Thomas offers and winks.

"I would have gone with unnerving." Maven whispers and bristles when Thomas grabs his hand. He's holding it between both of his palms. The fingers are very pale between his own.

"But in a good way." He presses a kiss on Maven's knuckles. "Right?"

Maven pulls his hand out of Thomas grasp. When Thomas looks up he sees a blush and shoulders drawn up.

"In the worst way." Maven mutters and Thomas chuckles.

It's quiet and peaceful. Thomas looks down at the water, back up at the orange light of the sun. Now or never, he decides, and maybe it has to do with the way those blue eyes are watching. Or maybe it's just because he's really sorry and hates himself for wasting precious weeks because someone cared enough to try and make him happy. He leans over, and his hand rests on Maven's neck, his thumb just below his ear, drawing little circles on the skin.

It's all perfect and fine, and his heart leaps when he feels Maven leaning in.

That's when one of the seagulls decides it's not okay with this.

With a screech, it empties the remains of his consumed food over Thomas' shoulder. White bird shit splatters over his shirt. With a disgusted noise, he stares.

The universe hates him.

Well, now the mood is certainly not for kissing anymore.

"Not cool," Thomas says, gritting his teeth and fumbling to get himself clean with an old fuzzy tissue from his pocket. "Really not cool!"

Maven makes a stifled, suffocating sound, and when Thomas looks over he sees a very concentrated face, trying not to laugh, and failing obviously.

That laugh is the most precious thing he has ever seen. It changes the whole face, and all the hard sharp lines get pulled into softer curves. It doesn't erase them, but the soft light adds shadows to it. Thomas studies him in wonder.

If he ever had the ambition to draw something it would be that second.

"Damn." Thomas isn't aware he really says it out loud. The laugh freezes on Maven's face. Thomas feels almost physical pain to see it vanish.

"You know what, screw this." He says and gives up to try and clean the mess. Instead, he reaches out again and this time he doesn't want to wait for the perfect moment to be ruined.

It's a weird first kiss, out of pace and not very long. Maven is stiff and caught by surprise. And Thomas, well, he's not sure if he's doing it right. Obviously, no one ever complained about his kissing. He's confident he's not drooling and at least their teeth are not clinking or whatever weird things happen at first kisses with people. But the kisses were never really meant anything. It was a clumsy make out session in a parking lot and behind a building, stealing time and then moving on. The lack of response now is making him nervous. Maybe he's gone off the races, again too fast and too loud, like he always does.

This is obviously a mistake.

Biting his lip, Thomas retreats. Maven looks like Thomas just straight up punched him in the gut.

"I'm sorry." He says. "Should have, eh, warned you or something."

"Perhaps. But-" Oh no, this is getting awkward. Thomas wants to throw himself into the river and drown.

Because good moments never last. And he always destroys what's left of them, as it seems.

"Oh shit." Thomas feels like someone has slapped him. Repeatedly. " Shit, I'm sorry. I got it all wrong, didn't I?"

"Thomas." Maven says.

Thomas is positive he is the most oblivious person. Of course, that smart, good-looking guy wouldn't want to kiss a smelly vagabond.

Thomas brushes his hair back with both hands, feeling miserable as he tries to unravel the shame and the misery that is building up in him. "Seriously, let's forget I did that. I am like this sometimes. Just-"

"Thomas." Maven says again, louder this time.

Thomas stops the rambling.

"You did not get anything wrong." Maven says. Thomas heart bursts into pieces. The ups and downs are too much. He fears his veins will explode when his pulse gets faster.

When he makes a step forward Maven retreats, if only a bit. "Just...take it slow. This is all very new to me."

" Wait, you're tellin me no one ever kissed you? Like..not once? Like. I am the first?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Not at all, pretty boy. Just surprised. People are stupid."

He can't himself stopping from smiling. Yeah sure, that kissing could have gone way different. But nothing about the moment could be any better. If Maven's mother decides to snipe him off the street he will die happy.

The next week goes by in a blur. They meet at the water every day, and if they don't, one always leaves a message. Thomas keeps the slips of paper stuffed in his pocket like a lucky charm.

Life's not perfect but it's fun and good for the moment and that's all that matters.

He doesn't even care someone almost catches him stealing. He's running down the block and breathing hard, heart jumping in his chest but he still can't stop himself from smiling.

It's in that moment he realizes it has hit him hard, and he's never really been in love before.

It's freaking him out, and he wouldn't say it to Maven's face for all the food and money in the world. Love is very creepy. But it's also doing things to his stomach. To everything he does, really.

The next time Maven offers the white plastic bag, Thomas takes it without saying a word.

"Next week is my last day in counseling." Maven says.

"Feeling whole and healed up from all the emotional trauma yet?" Thomas scoffs.

"All I know is that this building is a cannibalized monster and the chairs are uncomfortable. But I'm glad I didn't get my mother to bail me out."

"Me too, pretty boy."Thomas whispers and his heart makes sure to let him know how strangely whole it feels as Maven leans over and kisses his cheek, so careful as if he's made out of glass.

* * *

"Who is he?" Farley asks without a warning, sitting down next to Thomas on her couch. He has been so fixated on the sketchbook he didn't even hear her. Like a ninja. He is startled for a moment.

"Who? What?" Thomas tries to sound innocent. He lost that innocence a pretty while ago, though, and Farley reads him like a coloring book.

"We both know you'd not spent money on drawing utensils even if you had it." She sits straight and steady, like a soldier ready for rapport. He really adores her for all the times he was allowed to stay. But he is not in the mood to spill the beans. She'll not like it he smooches royal silver.

"He's not my boyfriend. We're not dating. We're just spending time." It's what he tells himself too because of the thought that this is really serious freaks him out.

For a moment they stare at each other. Thomas returns to the clumsy lines on the page. But of course, Farley wouldn't be Farley if shed let it sit.

She's like a dog dragging at a branch. She won't let go. " Not trying to bring him here? As far as I know, you are still homeless."

Bringing a silver into the lair of red rebellion. Wouldn't that be something?

Thomas makes a low noise in the back of his throat. Almost a whine." I don't think you people would get along."

"We people?"She tilts her head a little to the left, blond hair moving along. It's cut sharp and short just beneath her ear, along her chin.

"I love you, but you gotta admit, this group is a bunch of weirdos. It's not just that..we keep it real quiet for now." He dismisses her as calm as possible. The thought makes him smile. "It's cute tho. He's a little geeky. How do you manage?"

"Manage what?" she asks.

He rolls his eyes. "Yeah Diana you keep it real low but everyone with eyes sees there is no Shade without Farley. Like you're Siamese twins. Attached limp by limp. Like leeches suckin- Ew wait. Scratch that. But you get the point."

"I'm not sure. It's complicated. But he isn't-" Her eyes are somewhere in the distance. Looking at something Thomas can't see.  
"Yeah, he's not a bad person." Thomas finishes for her. "Sometimes we can't expect more. I got you."

"I didn't know you could be smart," Farley says. "That boyfriend of yours is doing wonders."  
"Goddammit, he is NOT my boyfriend." Thomas is still mighty proud while he sits back and looks at the lines in the sketchbook.


End file.
